When I'm not writing or doing research for a book, I like to hike, backpack, ski cross-country and downhill, take photographs, and walk my dog. I'm a graduate of the Boulder Mountaineering School but I'm not into technical climbing. I did want to know what to do should I find myself in a precarious place while hiking, and I've used the skills I learned. Because of the activities I participate in, I often write my books with an outdoor theme. Animals are usually a part of my stories. My book, ECHO OF LOVE, takes place on a Colorado horse ranch. In the book, my heroine raises Arabian horses. Western history interests me. I grew up on my parent's ranch in Wyoming. Sioux Indians considered the ranch excellent hunting, and I often found artifacts and teepee rings. When I was writing my latest completed manuscript, Day of Reckoning, I discovered the Overland Trail with swing and home stations was not far from our ranch. Most surprising to me was the closeness of Fort Sanders, a large fort built to protect stage travelers and railroad workers from Indian attacks. Nothing remains of the fort today. As a member of the Wyoming State Historical Society, I often join a yearly trek to learn more about Wyoming history. My e-book, SECRET TO HOLD published by Desert Breeze Publishing, is about a sheep ranch in central Wyoming in l886. Today the location I used is a national historic site. My parents raised sheep and cattle. I helped with docking lambs, a two day job with about 3,000 lambs to check and sort. When any work needed doing with the cattle, I helped. One of my horses, a Morgan, mustang mix, was an excellent cow pony and loved to work. He never missed a calf hiding in the sage or let a cow escape the herd. My other horse, a thoroughbred mare, was the most surefooted horse anywhere. My latest book to come out in August, The Chase, is a women in jeopardy story set in a Colorado Wilderness. They say you should write about what you know. I've never had to run for my life, but I have experienced hard hikes, bad weather, and camping and I've hiked some of the scenes I describe. In addition to novels, I've written and had published books on the outdoors and non-fiction western histories. My children's stories have appeared in children's magazines.